'Rainy Nights', performed for Playstation London a few years ago. I wrote this song as my ode to London. The London I love.
Rainy nights in London town
Don't know if he's crying cos I'm looking at the ground
There's a sea of umbrellas floating away from me
A dusty chessboard in an old shop window
A red and white Cheshire on a high brick wall
There's a million faces in a million streets and me.
I LOVED writing this song! x
“To children, the world and everything in it is new,
something that gives rise to astonishment.
It is not like that for adults.
Most adults accept the world as a matter of course.”
Jostein Gaarder
Life changed again a few weeks ago with the arrival of our darling Liora. What a cataclysmic blessing children are, and we don't for a second take for granted the epicness of the occasion.
The newness and mysticism of childbirth is in no way dimmed the second time around. In fact the sensing that this is an unquestioning miracle is much more apparent. More notably, the realisation that there is a design to this thing we call life, is all the more undeniable.
Even more miraculous is the stretching of my hearts capacity to, in an instant, love another human being so completely and so all encompassingly, that I would do the greatest, or most difficult thing in a nanosecond, should this little life require it.
Second time around, sleeplessness, thankfully hurts a little less...albeit marginally.
Second time around, I am all too aware how fast the days fly by, and how much these little ones change in every 24 hour timespan. There is hardly enough time to commit the moments to memory, therefore soaking up this precious newness with my eyes and heart wide open is a vital necessity.
I'm all to aware that in a heartbeat, all I'll be left with of this time are the countless photos taken, and the gloriously fuzzy memories of these momentous, sleep deprived days.
x
The soundtrack for this post had to be the first song that came to my mind when I started writing it:
Because this chocolate goodness is easy peasy.
But first let me tell you abit about my friend Rahna, the creator of this deliciousness. We've been friends since we were 16/17 years old, when we met at college, probably in the smoking area. We had a history lesson and our serious boyfriends in common, and the fact that we had each other in the class made it tolerable enough for us to pass with good grades.
We got our first very decent paying part time job together at a finance company, which afforded us the luxury of spending more money than the average teenager on Karen Millen dresses, Gucchi loafers (my heinous crime, not Rahna's), frequent pub lunches and dinners at Cafe Rouge.
I went on my first, proper, unsupervised holiday with Rahna. At about 19years old, Rahna and some other girlfriends spent 10 crazy days in Ayia Napa. You know when Ayia Napa was the Garage music Ibiza of the 2000s? All I remember were the all night pool parties, swordfish lunches, raving it up to the So Solid Crew's '21 Seconds' which was number one in the UK charts that week, and a guy calling my bottom a 'speed hump'. It was supposed to be a compliment. Interesting memories, but you couldn't pay me enough money to do it all again.
We've lived a lot of life together, and when I look back, it's crazy to think how things have changed. From young, experimental teens, to settled wives living that domesticated life- hilarious!
But I have to say that it's been in the last few years that I've been most inspired by Rahna. She has faced some life-altering health issues, causing her to completely revolutionise her diet. When Rahna is faced with anything, she just tackles it head on. And as she's had to restrict her diet to a degree that would definitely be unbearable for me, and I'm sure many others, I've witnessed her rise up and shine. She's found and created meals and food combinations that are not only healing, but tasty. So willing to experiment, she's such a creative in the kitchen, making up recipes completely from scratch that tick so many boxes for those who need a highly 'Free-From', diet. I predict a cookbook or 10 from her someday- you heard it here first!
This chocolate recipe is for me, by far one of her most successful creations to date. I was visiting her a few weeks ago, and she offered me some, and once I tasted them, I couldn't concentrate on much else for the rest of my visit! Like firstly, these chocolaty morsels are so so delicious. Secondly they are virtually guilt-free. Thirdly, for a guilt-free sweet, you actually feel like you're eating conventional chocolate. In texture, taste and the way they behave in the mouth, I feel like if you said I could only eat these chocs for the rest of my life, I would definitely be fine with that. No, I'd be very happy with that. Also they completely satisfy that often desperate need for chocolate, one or two bites are enough. Hyped enough? Here are the steps:
My tips:
Similarly, I do want to try Carrob powder, it may be a healthier option, I need to research, but Cocoa powder is what I've been using and it works a treat- really indulgent chocolatiness!
There you have it! If you do try this out, do let me know how you got on, and do head over to Happy Healthy Coeliac for more amazing healthy recipes and great information.
This is a REAL throwback. All the way to 2007, and the launch of Truths and Tiny Tragedies. I was so nervous, not sure how I got the sound to come out of my mouth in a manner that didn't scare everyone away, but I'm grateful it did. Grateful for all the support that night. Grateful to share my recording to a sold out show. And grateful that all the hard work came together to create memories I'll cherish forever.
As I look forward to future musical moments, and make plans to share new music, I'm thankful for my history. When faced with new challenges and daunting experiences, ones history becomes a great source of encouragement. Positive historical experiences say that if I've done it before, I can do it again.
I'll be sharing more throwback Thursdays of the musical variety over the next few weeks, so please feel free to check back for more!
x